BY RYAN ROGERS, Staff Reporter
The Central Washington volleyball team rebounded from Thursday’s loss to Western Washington as they defeated Simon Fraser in four sets on Saturday night at Nicholson Pavilion, 25-21, 24-26, 25-13, 25-20.
The Wildcats (12-9 overall, 8-5 GNAC) took the first set 25-21. The back-and-forth momentum shifts of the first set would set the tone for the entire match. In the second set, Central had Simon Fraser in a set-point situation. The Wildcats couldn’t finish the job, however, and the Clan rallied to win the second set, 26-24.
“I think there were a few unlucky plays and that’s the game of volleyball,” sophomore middle blocker Kaitlin Quirk said. “Sometimes it doesn’t go your way.”
In the third set, the back-and-forth trend continued. After Central took an 8-4 lead, the Clan rallied to tie the set before the Wildcats pulled away to win the set 25-13. In the deciding set, Central spotted Simon Fraser a 12-6 lead. However the Wildcats rallied to outscore the Clan 19-7 to win the fourth set 25-20 and take the match three sets to one.
“I felt we came back strong,” Quirk added.
For the Wildcats, sophomore outside hitter Rachel Hanses led the way with 16 kills. Hanses had five kills each in the first and fourth sets, with three in each of the other two frames.
“I think we stayed aggressive,” Hanses said. “Even through the harder times. We just kept our eyes on the prize. We stayed the course and played as a team.”
Head Coach Mario Andaya was very pleased with his team’s effort against Simon Fraser.
“I thought we did real well,” Andaya said. “It’s a tough match to prepare for after playing a rival in Western Washington. Having only day to prepare for, I thought we did a good job, coming through in key moments.”
Senior outside hitter Emmy Dolan came off the bench to score 12 kills, while senior middle blocker Erin Smith finished with 10 kills and Quirk added nine.
The Wildcats have now won six of their last seven matches and will go on the road next weekend. They take on Montana State-Billings on Thursday and then go up against Seattle Pacific on Saturday night.
The Wildcats’ next home game is Thursday on Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. against Saint Martin’s University at Nicholson Pavilion.
